When stacking sheets of glass for transport, manufacturers often insert paper between the glass sheets. The paper inserts help prevent surface damage that could occur during shipping. When the glass reaches its destination, the paper may be removed. However, under the weight of the stack of glass plate, the paper can form a seal to the glass. This seal makes paper removal from the glass more difficult.
Previous methods of removing the paper inserts from glass sheets have included suction cups and vortex devices. Neither of these means reliably remove the paper every time. Suction cups have difficulty due to the porosity of the paper. The amount of vacuum required to adhere to the paper and break the paper's seal to the glass may also be sufficient for the suction cup to adhere to the glass through the paper. In tests, suction cup reliability for paper pickup was less than 60%. Vortex devices performed better, but vortex reliability was still less than 90%.